Is YardYum the Future of Community Supported Agriculture?

Community supported agriculture has seen a resurgence in the past few years. With people becoming increasingly aware of their health choices and the effect that their food has on themselves and the environment, many families have started growing their own food.

In big cities, where gardens were once a rarity, more and more community gardens are popping up throughout the neighborhoods.

I think it’s a great idea. Gardening does more than produce healthy food, although that’s certainly a benefit. It also encourages people to go outside and exercise and produces food without harmful pollutants and emissions that poison the environment. It’s also a great way to teach kids healthy eating habits that will (hopefully) last them a lifetime.

Most of all, it fosters a sense of togetherness as families work together to achieve a common goal – and for maybe the first time in their lives, they’ll know exactly where the food on their dinner plates came from.

I was actually researching family gardens when I stumbled upon a site called YardYum. A lot of people want to grow a garden, but simply don’t have enough space for one, especially if they live in a metropolitan area. YardYum allows landowners to rent out their land to people who want to grow their own food.

It’s something I’ve never heard of before, but it makes sense … plenty of people have land that they’ll never use, either because they don’t have the time or they’re simply not interested. Why not rent it out to someone who could make good use of it?

The owners list their plot online and wait for someone to contact them (their exact location is never given, of course, for safety concerns). Then they meet up with the potential gardener and discuss an agreement.

Before long, their unused land becomes a gardening plot, and they receive money or a cut of the harvest in return. It’s a great way to make use of what was once just empty land, and do something for the environment while they’re at it.

As for the gardeners, YardYum gives them the opportunity to grow their own food if they don’t have the space to do it at home. They can search for a plot on the YardYum website, with a few options (limited access, raised beds, etc.) to limit their search. After they meet in person, they can use a contract template from the website if they want an agreement in writing.

Each contract lasts for one season — after it expires, it’s up to the gardener and the owner to decide if they want to part ways or renew the contract.

The website offers a lot of tools to help them out, so they’re not stuck trying to figure everything out on their own. It’s a safe bet that a lot of people have never rented out land before.

But I think it’s definitely worth it, because at the end of the season, the gardeners walk away with baskets of fresh food, and the owners walk away with a cash payment or their cut of the harvest.

If you want to start your own garden but don’t have the space, or if you’ve got empty land sitting around and don’t know what to do with it, I highly recommend checking out this website. You don’t need several acres of farmland … you can rent out your own backyard, if you choose.

And if you’re a gardener, you can meet new people and grow fresh, delicious food right in your own neighborhood. It’s the perfect arrangement. If you’re interested, you can visit the website at YardYum.com to get started.

It’s totally free–no advertisements or hidden fees, just the path to a local garden that everyone can enjoy.